She lives in her own apt which we pay for but she wants to pay for her own dog… we will NOT pay for it. What can she expect to pay for a small dog with hair (no fur) such as Yorkie or Maltese or toy Poodle? Then, how much for the vet bills to spay/neuter, shots, misc… then apt. pet fees, pet rent, dog food, toys, bed, etc…
in the Atlanta area
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Why make this easy for her. She is 18 years old and can do the the research on her own if she wants a dog that bad. It will take her awhile to do and maybe change her mind about the whole thing. I am sure she will have a social life, so doggy daycare should be added to the list at $18 a day. My daughters shih tzu, we found out has cancer and I can just imagine what the surgery is going to be for that. Lots of $. don’t forget grooming every 6 weeks which isn’t cheap for your daughter either. Don’t forget the training also that can add up. Depending on if she does it as a puppy, or it will cost her more if she does no training and the dog wants to rule the apt. and your daughter and she will be paying alot of money for behavioral problems. I charge $85 a session.
Depends
To be honest your daughter should really be doing this research herself.
She needs to look in the newspaper for a local vet. The usual round of shots costs on average about $100 each time(lots of shots when they are puppies). If money is an issue for her then she needs to get her finances in order before she goes looking for a dog that she can’t pay for. Training should be a must! The dog will need plenty of exercise and attention that a young woman who lives on her own might not be able to give.
Good luck!
Ok; so first: puppy: 500-1000$
Spay/neuter: up to 200$
Shots: 25$ each, exams are about 35-50 dollars, and usually vets want to examine the animals for illnesses or problems before giving vaccines. Depending on the area you live in, you may need anywhere from 5-8 vaccines due to boostering.
Also, you’ll need heartgard and frontline, which run between 60-80 dollars, I believe, each (Supply of 6 months)
Dog food: depending on the brand? You’ll want a good one such as hills, Purina, etc… About 9 dollars for a 9 lb bag
Toys: Debatable.
Anyway; it gets very expensive very quickly.
It depends on the breed of dog she wants and where she goes to get it. Breeder or shelter? AKC purebred or mutt? I’d probably figure a few hundred for the dog, another hundred for initial vet visit/shots/spay or neuter. Then food- a big bag could be as much as $50 (please research food and don’t buy from the grocery store). Toys, crate (like $50 or so). Puppy Classes are a good idea too. Tivo a lot of episodes of the "Dog Whisperer"!
**I have to disagree with the above post regarding food. Please read this info on food ingredients: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Dogs-701/Nutrition-Best-puppy-food.htm It’s very good information and makes sense. Even the "better" dog foods you can buy at the grocery store have lots of fillers and ingredients that most dogs can’t digest and it makes their poo more stinky and they have more of it. You don’t want Corn in the ingredients at all. Or Soy. Or anything that is a "by product".
The cost of the dog will depend on where she gets it. If she gets one from a humane society it will be a lot less than if she gets one from a breeder or a pet store. Shots vary by what kind they dog still needs. And when you get the dog they might have kennel cough, which is like a cold dogs get from being in the kennels, and i believe there is a shot for that bit it should be fairly inexpensive (I’ve had 5 dogs in the last 5 years and we got all their shots updated so it shouldn’t be that bad). I would have your daughter talk to a local vet that she would use and the people she gets the dog from and see what they would charge. Normally puppies have very few of their shots and dogs about about a year or two are pretty kept up. The other thing you want to watch out for are other medical conditions the dog has that they would need nedications for. Some medications are fairly cheep, but others can be kinda pricey.
As far as apt. fees… most apts. charge an initail fee and then a monthy fee to keep the pet. We paid $20/month for our dog. Dog food depends on what you want. Unless the dog is unable to eat dry food, thats the way to go. Wet food is expensive and doesn’t last as long. You can get a bigbag at wal mart for $20 or less. Toys are a luxury. My dog has one toy and he’s fine with that. Truly a puppy will chew on anything. Plastic lids and frisbees are good. And some dogs prefer the ones with the squeekers so I would have her buy a cheep squeeker toy and a frisbee and see what the puppy likes more and then buy a few more. Since she wants a puppy don’t have her buy anything expensive because it wont be around very long. One to two dollar toys at the dollar store are good.
So I hope I have helped you out. And good luck with the puppy!
1st of all, this is a HUGE responsibility. Owning a dog, is like having a kid. Her life will change. Also, have her read a lot about the breed she wants. My best advice is to go to your local pet shelter and adopt a pet. A lot of girls her age are looking for a little dog to dress up, and she’ll be paying $200-$300 for a dog, who will learn to resent her for this and end up having behavior problems. Little lap dogs are not always a wise choice especially for a first dog. Believe me I grew up with poodles all of my life. And, only 1 of 3 was nice. The other ones bit, and was totally mean. If she were to rescue a poor dog, not only would she save on money, b/c most dogs are already neutered, but these dogs know they were rescued, and will forever love you no matter what. Ask to sit down and really think about her future. Because having a dog run into your arms because you saved her life, is going to make her much happier, than crying because her new pooch just ate her favorite shoes. Just please try to talk to her, a lot of dogs end up dead, because new owners can’t handle to dogs. 5 million dogs die a year in animal shelters. So, try to save one instead of sending another one there. Also, she may be able to find the one she wants that is already potty trained and through the puppy stages. I wish you luck.